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AIBU?

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Original poster

to think that trick or treating should be made illegal?

183 replies

Boogalooblue · 29/10/2007 19:37

I am fed up with children coming round banging on front door, shouting 'trick or treat' and expecting vast quantities of sweets in return.

I really do not understand why parents think this is acceptable.

I would not send my dcs out begging either accompanied or on their own and cannot comprehend why other parents do.

Yes I have given up answering door after dark on Halloween.

If you feel you must take your little devils darlings out, could you please just go to houses where you are obviously welcome ie a pumpkin in window/on front doorstep.

Not where the curtains are all drawn and light out.

Thank you

OP posts:
puffling · 29/10/2007 23:05

I wouldn't ban it, but I don't understand how this so called tradition has suddenly landed here. When I was a child, not that long ago, trick or treating was some quaint thing you saw American kids doing on films.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 29/10/2007 23:05

No, asbo's for eggers.

unknownrebelbang · 29/10/2007 23:06

vvvqv, it may well be indicative of where we live, although to be fair we've only had the one incident in 8 years of living here.

I said I don't have a problem with the children knocking, I just don't particularly like trick or treating. It's not something I grew up with and it's not something I've done with my boys.

And I am glad I'm out, at a friend's retirement do (rather unfortunate timing, lol).

Lazarou · 29/10/2007 23:08

Does that asbo still stand if the eggs are organic?

lizziemun · 29/10/2007 23:10

Only read opening post.

I hate halloween, trick or treating.

Why is it acceptable for children to knock on doors of strangers on this night and not any other.

HairyIrene · 29/10/2007 23:12

in scotland its guising
and you have to do a song or dance or poem or good joke
if not, no sweets, chocolate, fruit, whatever

what do trick or treaters 'do'?

handlemecarefully · 29/10/2007 23:16

I loathe it.

If you want your children to enjoy Halloween, go and organise a Halloween party for them you lazy feckers

onebatmother · 29/10/2007 23:16

Are you the miserable old lady/man in an 80's horror film who comes to a horrid end in the first reel?

Niecie · 29/10/2007 23:20

Somebody earlier wanted a no trick or treating poster.

Don't know if this will do?

I won't be answering the door either and rather resent that I have to hide in my own house to avoid this strange event.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 30/10/2007 07:53

Where I live some supermarkets refuse to sell eggs and flour to teenagers in the weeks (yes weeks) leading up to Halloween. It has been mentioned in the local press as well that police patrols will be stepped up on the 31st.

The police in this area take a very dim view of property getting egged - it is criminal damage.

GoodGollyMissMolly · 30/10/2007 10:09

OMG it is just a bit of fun, the little kiddies really enjoy it.
fair enough if you dont like it, but to make it illegal
altogether just because you dont like it is unreasonable.

I used to get so excited at halloween when I was younger. made my own costume, helped my younger bro make his, then mum and dad would take us to family and friends houses to 'trick or treat'. Although we would never have dreamed of doing a trick.

I cant wait, I'm doing my pumpkins tomorrow day and I have all the sweets ready, I'm really looking forward to it.

kekouan · 30/10/2007 10:41

Kids are fine, but I hate the teenagers that come round demanding money.

A few years ago I was in the house on my own, I'd completely forgotten it was halloween (how?) and went downstairs to open the door.

I opened the door to a 6 foot devel, surrounded by minions... to say I screamed the place down would be an understatement. I slammed the door in his face and double locked the door.

I'm not a wuss, but if it scared me, what about the elderly people in my street who would also have opened the door to them... I should have called the police, especially when they were still hanging around my door 15 mins later.

kekouan · 30/10/2007 10:42

That's 'devil' btw... I can spell really.

WalkingCorpseScum · 30/10/2007 10:59

Misery guts the lotta ya!!!

Blandmum · 30/10/2007 11:09

We follow the Pumpkin Code.

One outside, we knock.

None outside, we leave alone. This seems to be followed by just about everyone where I live, and it makes for a very nice ballance.

there is also one very godly family who leave angel biscuits outside their house, with a polite notice that explains why they don't 'do' Halloween. And very kind compromise, i think.

ArmadilloDaMan · 30/10/2007 11:14

I think VVVQV is right about where you live affecting what you think about it.

You'd have to be really miserly to think it shoudl be banne dif your own experience is small children only knocking at doors with pumpkins and not performing trick. (I hate it but I am really miserly and admit to being unreasonable)

However if you live somewhere where it's teenagers/older kids knocking on the door, threatening, smashing windows, egging stuff and threatening violence, then it's not really unreasonable at all.

SeaShells · 30/10/2007 11:15

I've had them banging on my door upto 10pm EVERYNIGHT for the past 2weeks. I'd love to know why the hell the parents are letting them do this???? It's started to feel like harrassment to be honest and have stopped answering the door. We love halloween and it's spoilt it for us this year. If they came on halloween night we'd be very welcoming and more than happy to hand out sweets in the spirit of it all, but to be honest, they can all just get lost this year, we'll do a little party for just the family and WON'T be putting our pumkins or decorating the outside of the house whatsoever. It's greedy and appalling behaviour and has really made me angry this year

OrmIrian · 30/10/2007 11:16

Never had kids come to the door and demand...or even ask TBH. They usually stand there looking a bit embarrassed and shuffle their feet a little until I hand the chocolates round We tend to only get kids from our street and perhaps a few others who know mine.

Not a problem as far as I'm concerned.

Blandmum · 30/10/2007 11:16

The nasty stuff doesn't seem to happen round with us. Thankfully. Most of the kids who come round are littlies, who have parents in tow. And the older kids are fine, and quite happy with some sweeties.

MrsNorris · 30/10/2007 11:30

We were in a pub having a meal last tues and some kids in masks came trick or treating round the tables. I hate halloween it is glorified begging (or rather glorified extortion - give me money/sweets or something nasty will happen to you/your house/your car) If I did that to someone in the street I'd be arrested.
Once when we lived on army barracks they had an armed guard stood at the bottom of our road to stop local kids coming round!

Blandmum · 30/10/2007 11:31

When did kids start going out before the day?

they don't round here

haggisaggis · 30/10/2007 11:40

To reiterate what a couple of posters have already said - in Scotland, "Guising" at Halloween is a long established tradition - NOT something imported from US.
Children have to sing a song, tell a joke etc before they get anything.
Nowadays we do usually give sweets - but when I was wee money was much more usual.
btw, we used to have carved turnips (swedes to you Southerners) - a damned sight harder to hollow out than pumpkins!

Blandmum · 30/10/2007 11:41

It is also very well establised in South Wales. My father used to go out on halloween, and that was in the 1930s.

Nothing to do with America

beeper · 30/10/2007 11:42

I think many people realise that the world is not the same anymore. It is not safe just to walk the streets as a young adult. Children are being shot by children in our country nearly every week. More and more kids are watching violent horror films and think life is cheap.

Its sad but our society is getting worse and its not safe for our children to trick or treat.

Budabeastie · 30/10/2007 11:42

Doesn't happen here in Budapest! An American friend has organised a trick or treating session at a small local shopping centre. We went last year and it was good fun for the little ones.

When I was growing up in Ireland we did go around houses (afaik we exported the tradition to America and they built on it!). We would dress up in homemade costumes and knock on neighbours doors and say "Help the Halloween Party" and would be given fruit and nuts and the odd lollipop or handful of sweets. Always ended up with more fruit and nuts though as that was the tradition.

I would be unhappy about older teenagers demanding with menaces and it happening on other nights.

But I don't think you can ban it.